Monday, March 3, 2014

Between Zero and One, by Vivian Relta




Zero: infinite source, all things possible contained within it not yet manifest

Zero is the pause before action


I'm gonna count to three and you better

—  be in the house
— stop your crying
— clean up that mess
— come over here so I can give you something to cry about

At zero, your hand is poised to dispense judgment
ready to pull, slap or shove
Your mouth is already shaping the sound of a yell and words that would hurt

At zero, my fate is sealed

At one, you move towards me with tired eyes

Then two, you reach for me — there's no saving me now

And three, I fly across the room, landing on the floor

I am humiliated and scared

How could you?


Note: the title is a phrase taken from a short story by Mavis Gallant